I am the first to admit it - organizing and cleaning are NOT my strong points. I love to cook, bake, etc....but cleaning? Ugh. No thank you. That being said, I've come to realize lately that I need to get on the ball. Maybe it's partially because of an impending home study, maybe because I know life will be easier when it's organized, or maybe it's just time.
My first project? The "linen closet" in our master bathroom. We don't have an actual linen closet - so when we moved in we added one of our cabinets. It doesn't fit well in the space, but it works.
Ready for the "before?" Please keep in mind that we haven't done anything as far as painting in this room....so please don't think the blue trim was my idea!.....
Yikes, pretty bad right? Not a lot of linens in the linen closet, because I had already taken step one awhile ago - storing our sheets in an under-the-bed box. It's handy and saves room - love it! (Oh, and I also picked up that tip about folding the sheets and storing each set in a matching pillowcase - love that too!)
I cleaned out the cabinet, threw away all the expired medicines
(what? I shouldn't drink Nyquil from 6 years ago?!) and things we don't use, rolled the towels, and organized like items in little plastic bins, and here's what I ended up with....
Much improved, right? Look at all that extra space!! I was even able to move a bunch of things from our counter, and it's looking amazing too...
Of course I had to add some labels. I thought of labeling each container with its contents, but couldn't get it to look how I wanted it to, and plus, the containers are already see-through, so I just labeled each one with an alphabet sticker.
Here's the cabinet with the containers labeled (a little hard to see because of our terrible lighting).....
In case you were wondering....here's the rundown on what goes where: a=razors (one of my
stockpile items...you can almost always find them free or super cheap....so why not get them in advance and never pay full price!), b=first aid stuff, c=medicines (all of these are safely out of the reach of little hands!) 1st Big Basket=daily stuff like hairbrushes, deodorant, contact solution, etc.
The blue thing in front of the basket? Oh yeah, that's for my mouth guard. Cause I'm cool like that.
2nd shelf from the top: 2nd big basket includes random stuff we don't use daily, like lotions, aloe gel, etc. D=hair stuff like headbands, ponytail holders. Everything else in that little cubby is also hair-related, like my hairdryer and the clippers I use to cut Jon's hair.
3rd shelf: E=makeup, chapsticks; F=toothbrushes & floss (
other stockpile items!) The old wipes container (ran out of the clear plastic tubs!) currently has pantyhose, and the jar next to it has little flower pins and accessories. And of course you can see the bottom shelf is filled with towels. Amazing how much room it saves to roll them!
I'll keep you updated as I continue my quest for a more organized home!
What are your best organizing tips?
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